Emmanuel G. Godfrey
Founder & Executive Director
Emmanuel G. Godfrey is the Founder and Executive Director of the African Impact Institute, where he drives thought leadership, research, and capacity-building programs aimed at equipping young Africans with the tools to lead systemic change. He is also a Technical Assistant to the Assistant Minister for Student Personnel Services at the Ministry of Education in Liberia. In this role, he assists with policy, program designs, and implementation.
Prior to founding the African Impact Institute, Emmanuel served as the Founder and Executive Director of Partners for Education – Liberia, a youth-focused nonprofit organization committed to connecting one million young people and entrepreneurs to economic and employment opportunities. Under his leadership, the organization has impacted over 4,500 youth and implemented high-impact programs such as the Career Acceleration Program, Restoring Academic Integrity (RAi), the Clean City Project, and the Entrepreneur Academy, which fosters youth-led business creation.
Emmanuel is a 2025 Schwarzman Scholar alumnus and with a Master of Management Science in Global Affairs from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. He earned a First-Class Honors degree in International Business and Trade from the African Leadership University (ALU) in Rwanda, where he received the 2021 Academic Excellence Award and served as a Class Representative and a member of the ALU Integrity Board.
Professionally, Emmanuel has worked across government, consulting, communications, education, and investment promotion. At the Rwanda Development Board, he contributed to investment database optimization and ISIC classification as an Investment Matchmaking Intern. At Eprenz, a U.S.-based global entrepreneurship network, he served as Marketing and Communications Executive, leading branding and outreach for 100,000+ entrepreneurs.
His additional experience includes work with the ALU School of Wildlife Conservation, Public Affairs Africa (Paris), the Iacocca Institute’s Global Village on the Move (North Macedonia), and ALU’s Professional Development Department, building deep expertise in policy, negotiation, strategy, finance, communications, and impact investing.
Emmanuel holds multiple professional certifications in ESG Investing (Wall Street Prep), Strategy & Operations (IBMI Mini-MBA), and other areas such as Leadership, International Business, Marketing, and Impact Investing (University Impact). These credentials complement his practical leadership and analytical strengths.
Having lived, studied, and worked across nine countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America, Emmanuel brings a global, cross-cultural lens to addressing complex societal issues. His interests include entrepreneurship, governance, sustainable development, youth leadership, and Africa’s global positioning, with a passionate commitment to driving transformative change across the continent.
